A variety of packages exist for medical devices. In some instances, medical devices may be packaged in a single package with only some corresponding components included within a single container. Such single containers may be designed to maintain sterility of the medical device from the time of sterilization until the time for use by a medical professional. These containers may be generally constructed from materials such as plastic, high density polyethylene fiber material (such as Tyvek®), and others. Before and/or after the medical device is packaged, the medical device and package may be sterilized once prior to the use by a medical professional. Such sterilization methods may include gamma radiation, electron beam processing, x-ray radiation, or ultraviolet light irradiation, among other types. Some of these methods of sterilization may be incompatible with or cause damage to certain components within a medical device, such that different sterilization techniques may be warranted for different components of a medical device. In some such instances, a separate bulky support device may need to be provided to connect the component with the rest of the medical device before use.
With the advancement of the electronics industry, various medical devices that run at least partially on electrical power may be adapted to contain most, if not all, of the required components within the medical device. More specifically, some medical devices may be adapted to use an internal or attachable power source instead of requiring the device to be plugged into an external source by a cable. Other electronic components may also be adapted for insertion into medical device, such as a transducer or circuit board. Merely exemplary devices that may be adapted to include a portable power source and/or other integral electronic components are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,500,176 entitled “Electrosurgical Systems and Techniques for Sealing Tissue,” issued Dec. 31, 2002, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pub. No. 2006/0079874 entitled “Tissue Pad for Use with an Ultrasonic Surgical Instrument,” published Apr. 13, 2006, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pub. No. 2007/0191713 entitled “Ultrasonic Device for Cutting and Coagulating,” published Aug. 16, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pub. No. 2007/0282333 entitled “Ultrasonic Waveguide and Blade,” published Dec. 6, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pub. No. 2008/0200940 entitled “Ultrasonic Device for Cutting and Coagulating,” published Aug. 21, 2008, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; and U.S. Pub. No. 2010/0069940 entitled “Ultrasonic Device for Fingertip Control,” published Mar. 18, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. Similarly, various ways in which medical devices may be adapted to include a portable power source are disclosed in U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/410,603, filed Nov. 5, 2010, entitled “Energy-Based Surgical Instruments,” the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
Electrically powered medical devices such as those referred to herein may require the use of high value or environmentally restricted disposable components to operate. The ability to reuse or reprocess these components over multiple uses may increase the value of the initial purchase by possibly spreading the cost of those components over the multiple uses. In addition or in the alternative, reclamation and reuse of the components may avoid or mitigate any environmental issues that may otherwise be associated with the disposal of the components after a single use. One potential approach may include reusing clean electrical components within multiple medical devices.
While several systems and methods have been made and used for packaging a medical device, it is believed that no one prior to the inventors has made or used the invention described in the appended claims.
The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is contemplated that various embodiments of the technology may be carried out in a variety of other ways, including those not necessarily depicted in the drawings. The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present technology, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the technology; it being understood, however, that this technology is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.